I am not a particular fan of right-wing talk radio, and over the course of my life I have donated a few bucks and worked to elect Democrats to elected office, so I was a bit taken aback when I answered my phone this morning.
It was a guy who identified himself as being a producer for Fox News out of Los Angeles.
He got my phone number from the internet....... and so - what would you have said to him if you were me?
This is not actually about Mr. Limbaugh, or the fine hospital where he gets medical care, and I am not a spokesperson for either of these entities. It's about journalism.
The guy was oh-so glib, and started off by saying that Fox News was very very careful to never reveal their sources of information, and that nobody would know we had spoken.
At first I thought he was going to ask some questions about my upcoming book tour to the Bay Area. I have given a few media interviews arranged by my hosts. I am always ready to do more.
He went on to say "I know you have a connection to Queens Hospital, and we are looking for background information about the quality of care there.... I suppose you know that Mr. Rush Limbaugh was admitted there yesterday. We wonder if you can help us learn more about what kind of care he is receiving, what is wrong with him. anything you tell us will be off the record"(sic). I admit I am bit fuzzy on the exact words, but the gist of it was, Fox News was trolling for somebody who could release private information about Mr. Limbaugh's health.
Frankly I was taken aback. It's true that I am a Registered Nurse, but the only connection to Queens Hospital for me, is that I am a "fan" of the FaceBook page started by their employees, which is not even an "official" site of Queens. This enterprising guy probably got my name from the FaceBook fan page; and since I am also an author and I use the internet to promote the book I wrote on Global Health issues, it's not difficult to find out my cell phone number after that.
So I stammered out out that I do not work at Queens. He asked if I knew anybody who did. That is when I told him that anybody who talked with him and gave that information would be breaking a Federal Law, and that if I necessary I would report such a person to the State Board of Nursing to have their license revoked, because it would be unethical of them to give that kind of information to the media.
Then I told him that he should be ashamed of himself for asking people to do something illegal, and I hung up. I was, frankly, proud of myself for telling off Fox News in my own little way. Chalk one up for the little guy - I am not always that quick with the response.
HIPAA the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act
This would be a fine time to review with my fellow KOSsacks about "HIPAA." This is the acronym for a federal law which protects your confidential medical information from unauthorized disclosure. There are substantial federal fines for individuals who violate this law, and all hospitals are required to have policies in place to protect medical records, especially electronic medical records which are much more difficult to keep secured. At the time HIPAA was passed there were concerns that if an insurance company learned that a person was HIV -positive, for example, they could blacklist that person from getting future health insurance. Or that if a person was battling drug addiction, an auto insurance company could use that info to deny auto insurance coverage; or that a long list of other abuses could occur.
Any nurse or doctor who shares medical information can be reported to the feds for investigation or prosecution if a violation occurs. Also, most hospitals have policies and procedures in place which make it very clear that violation will lead to immediate termination of employment.
For more information about the HIPAA law, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/...
And now, the editorializing
And so, anytime you are listening to a news broadcast about somebody's medical condition, be sure to listen for the attribution of the sources of the info. The patient, or his designated spokesperson, can say whatever they like. The hospital, and all medical or nursing persons, are severely constrained from making any commentary whatsoever.
I guess the punchline for me is that I was at first a bit surprised that the media would be so eager to dig up news about a celebrity. Them the inevitable thought: "Oh, but it's Fox News.. they don't have any journalistic integrity to begin with." These are the type of people who would even violate the HIPAA law in search of news about a fellow traveller in the wingnut-o-sphere. It's a dog-eat-hyena world out there, folks.
PS. My book is titled "The Hospital at the End of the World" and there is a FaceBook fan page for it. You can find it on Amazon dot com or at Barnes and Noble. People in the Bay Area are invited to attend one of the events on my book tour Jan 5th through 11th.
PPS I am attaching a poll. Here is an example I can use in real life when teaching future nurses about HIPAA.